That SoCalled Ladder
by Lady-Nuriko
Summary: Mustang is Furher and married to Riza. Their trouble isnt over yet, some doubt his abilities to lead and the rumor that she got where she is by another set of 'skills' Possible M in later chapters.
1. Back to Work

AN: Hiya, welcome to another crazy fanfic I dug up from the crevices of my computer. I remember I had some amazing plans for this story... now I have to re-remember what they were. XD; Eh heh. I thought Id see what people think of it before I go to far. Title may change, I seem to recall I had another name for it, so when that returns to me, it shall be thus named. ^_^ I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Roy Mustang dragged himself lazily down the hallway of the house, the sounds of his footsteps muted by soft carpet. He stiffed a yawn and ran his hand through his messy bed hair. He was partially dressed in his uniform; his white shirt lay unbuttoned, revealing his muscular frame underneath. The aroma of coffee filled the house, as he rounded the corner he was forced to pause and take in the sight before him. Standing in his kitchen, also clad in a similar uniform with long golden locks partially still wet from the shower hung loose down her back. She stood at the stove attending to the sizzling pan onto. Formally this woman was the most frightening creature he had ever known- now she stood in his- no their kitchen, quieting humming a tune as she cooked unaware of Mustangs presence in the room. He grinned childishly to himself, finally after years and years of chasing her he had won. Silently he moved in behind her wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace and began placing soft kisses on her neck- he had always hoped he would get a squeal of surprise or something interesting out of her but every morning he was disappointed. The years of military training sapped the fun out of it for him.

"Good morning Mrs. Mustang." The soft whispers made her heart soar. She smiled and turned her head, leaning into one of his famous kisses. They had been married for two weeks and had just gotten back from their honeymoon in Xing. Today was to be their first day back to work and in their new positions as Fuhrer and Lieutenant General.

Riza turned to face him, eyeing his appearance skeptically before starting to button up her shirt. "Please make sure you have everything. Did you read everything grandfather sent you?" She fussed as Roy struggled into his jacket; the Fuhrer uniform was quite a bit different from his old one.

"Of course not! It was our honeymoon- I wasn't going to waste it by working! Geez, your grandfather sent enough reading material to have keep me busy for ten honeymoons, and even than I probably would have had some left over."

Riza chuckled and kissed him again before handing him a cup of coffee so she could turn her attention back to their breakfast. "It wasn't that much. Grandfather just wants you to be prepared."

Roy leaned up against the kitchen table, sipping on the hot coffee. "I know. It's just a shame we had to cut our honeymoon short. I would have liked some more time just the two of us- now it's going to feel like nothing has changed at work but our ranks." It was probably the third time he had complained about it since she has told him two weeks ago. Her decision to keep her last name of Hawkeye for work had nothing to do with him. Hawkeye had always been a name that was associated with a cold, fearless voice of authority and to avoid confusion it was just easier. For all other intents and purposes within the military and outside it she was still Riza Mustang, the happy wife of Roy Mustang.

"There was nothing we could do about that. The new recruits arrived ahead of schedule due to a mix up in the east. Really Roy, it was written down in the folder he gave you that you didn't read. Thankfully Fuery knows you well enough to have called last week to remind you." She chided him gently, around him her cold demeanor almost vanished. She had spent the last two weeks coming to terms with the fact she was a married woman now and was actually having fun doing some of the things the boys often joked that Roy would be doing if they ever hooked up- cooking, cleaning, laundry etc.

"Now hurry and eat breakfast while I finish getting ready." With that Riza disappeared into the bedroom.

* * *

Despite Roy's complaints that he didn't feel it was right and that he could have someone else pick them up, Riza had insisted that she continue to drive them to work. She had become so accustomed to being his aide, as far as she was concerned the fact that he had finally made it to the top meant that he would need her now more than ever to watch his back. He eventually forfeited the argument as he knew he had lost before it started. Although her new position kept her almost as close to him as before she also had many other responsibilities that kept her occupied but still she remained a loyal aide to him- mainly escorting him on business trips or appointments.

They were forced to cut short their honeymoon a week early due to the arrival of the new recruits that were arriving this afternoon. Riza was to oversee the preparations for their arrival and greet them. Afterwards they were to have a general board meeting with the officers- she had heard there were a couple new transfers and promotions that went through with the former Fuhrer Grumman before he retired.

When they pulled up to headquarters they were greeted by many familiar faces all excited to see the newlyweds and their good friends. The whole gang cheered and welcomed them back when they exited. Riza panned the crowd of grinning thoughtful idiots than to Roy who was grinning like a schoolboy. Than as if all the men realized it at once they snapped into a sharp salute and broke off to each side. "Fuhrer Mustang, Sir! Welcome back!"

"I've been gone for two weeks and you forget your formalities?" He chided them playfully. "I'm glad your all still here." He walked past them and through the double doors, taking the long walk that would eventually lead to his new office. It was a trek he had done countless times but now he was the one that would be sitting on the other side of that desk. Riza followed behind him, passing soldiers and officers welcoming them back. The Fuhrer greeted them all with the charisma and kindness that he always held.

When they entered the anti-chamber of his office a young brunette secretary stood behind a desk and smiled, bowing her head. Riza had met the woman before; she used to be a secretary under Maes Hughes. She must have been one of the promotions that Grumman made. "Good morning Fuhrer Mustang. They are waiting for you." She motioned with her hand off to the side with the meeting room was located. The confused look on Mustangs face made the girl realize he didn't know about the meeting.

"Pardon me Sir; Grumman has arranged a meeting with you this morning. Perhaps the notice was lost." Riza cast a sharp look at Roy who seemed to look guilty and cast his gaze downwards momentarily to avoid her gaze. That note was most likely in the papers that again, he didn't read.

"Ah, no. Sorry. Tell him I'll be right in."

"You shouldn't make him wait any longer Sir." Hawkeye stated, how long had he been here for already? He was lucky grandfather liked him so much. Mustang nodded in agreement, before she left, he gave her a tender kiss- it was going to be a long day without each other's company and felt he would need the strength it gave him. Although the fraternization rule was lifted they were still supposed to remain professional while at work, but Hawkeye's initial concern disappeared, he was Fuhrer after all, but even so she wouldn't let him abuse his new power.

"I'll meet you for lunch." With that Mustang watched as his wife saluted him and left the room- leaving him for her own duties. When he could no longer hear her footsteps he turned and entered the room in which Grumman was waiting...

It never ceased to surprise him how unofficial his meetings with Grumman were. When he entered the older man wasn't sitting at the table as he had expected, in fact there were no other officers in the room. At the back, off to the side sat the former Fuhrer dressed casually in his civilian clothes. In front of him was a table set up with chess pieces- another chair sat opposite him.

He smiled cheerfully when Mustang entered, he was always happy to see the younger man. Mustang took his usual seat

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting Sir. I must have missed the memo on this meeting." He apologized, moving the first chess piece on the board. Grumman gave a small chuckle.

"Oh there was no meeting. I just decided to come in two hours before you did and made that story up for your secretary."

Mustang couldn't even be shocked, it was just like him. He gave a wry smile. "So if there was no meeting, why did you come here; certainly not just to play a game?"

The elderly man waved his head casually as his attention returned to the game. "I'm retired now; I think you can drop the Sir, Mr. Mustang." He advanced his pawn on the board than leaned back in his chair. "I just came to see how things were going. I knew you wouldn't have done any reading while you were away, and frankly I would have been upset if you had and ignored my granddaughter. So I figured I would save you some time this morning with a few of the more important details..."

Mustang quirked an eyebrow, shifting his position in the chair, this would be more than a long game.


	2. The New Recruits

At first glance it really didn't seem like a whole lot had changed aside from a few new faces and rank changes. All of Mustangs men still worked directly under him in one way or another. Their old office now belonged to Lt. Col. Jean Havoc. He had recently returned back to active service after gaining the ability to walk again. He had been given his own group of men and usually carried out orders given to him directly from the Fuhrer. Fuery was stationed as head of the communication tower, with a direct line to Mustang's office. More or less he chose to keep his most trusted men at his side for as long as they were willing to serve him.

Major Breda was to be one of the officers Hawkeye was meeting with to oversee preparations of the new recruits. When she arrived on the open field that would be hosting the event, set up was in full motion. In the distance she spotted Breda giving orders and helping when things weren't working, as was his nature. The other officers, whom she hadn't met with yet, wouldn't be here until it was time for the recruits to arrive. It seemed strange to her that in such a short amount of time since the battle with King Bradley things had changed so quickly and become so quiet. The most stress they were dealing with now other than repairs to the countryside was setting up for an orientation. It was a welcome feeling nonetheless.

The morning went quickly; Breda had briefed her on the progress and had time to get filled in on the more important details of their absence. She had caught a few offhand comments from some of the soldiers on how well she meshed with some of the men and that hooking up with Mustang had melted her fearsome persona. Perhaps they were right, however for now she would let them slide; there were more important things at hand.

Riza had taken up a spot in the stands and had been reading through the folder Breda had given her earlier, it held a roster of all the recruits and officers assigned to the task. It was similar to the copy she had received from Grumman the other night, only more complete in areas and if it hadn't been for her husband's persistent interrupting she would have remembered more of it.

"Lt. Gen? I dismissed the men for lunch, why don't we get something to eat too before the other officers arrive?"

Riza's mind, pulled from the papers in her hand by the voice, looked up to the one addressing her. Breda stood, with his usual relaxed air about him. Hawkeye gave him a nod and placed the papers back into their brown folder and tied it off again. "I can't believe it's that late already."

Breda walked with her back to the officers' mess hall and parted ways once entering, Hawkeye scanned the room for Mustang- no sign. Brushing it off as Furher related duties, she knew him well enough that if it came to work or lunch with her it was an easy decision. Riza picked up her tray than went to their usual table in the corner; she and Mustang had all but reserved it for themselves.

She didn't have to wait long before a familiar figure took the seat across from her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, the game went longer than expected." Mustang apologized as he started to dig into his lunch.

"Game… You were playing?" Riza questioned, furrowing her brow.

"No, no, well, not exactly, it was all Grumman's idea- the meeting I mean." He stumbled over his words as he tried to get out what exactly he meant before his wife shot him for playing games instead of working. "I think his jokes are getting worse."

Riza couldn't help but chuckle; if her grandfather was behind it he couldn't be blamed. She wasn't really angry anyways. "He can be very convincing." She agreed.

"So how are things going on your end?" Roy took a sip of his coffee and held it in front of his face as he regarded her.

"Very well, Major Breda seems to have everything under control. The recruits will be arriving at 0200."

Roy let out an annoyed sigh, why was it when they talked, it was always work related, Roy wondered. Riza was still very work driven, even on their honeymoon had Roy let her, she would have read all the papers for him.

* * *

By the time the new soldiers had arrived, Riza had been introduced to the other officers that were also assigned to this. She knew most of them from around central but had never worked with them personally until now. They seemed a little hesitant to say much most likely due to her famous reputation with the military.

The orientation went smoothly; she had no doubts that it wouldn't with Breda being in control. The officers introduced themselves and Riza gave a short speech before overseeing the rest of the procedure.

Down on the parade grounds the men were listening quietly to the introductions and speeches. A small group near the back were shifting their gaze about the officers, they had heard grand stories of Central and how by the book their officers were. So far it lived up to its reputation. One man eyed the Lt. Gen and whispered to a colleague.

"How do you think a woman like her made it to the side of the Fuhrer?" He questioned skeptically. His companion followed his gaze to the woman under the sheltered viewing platform; her expression cold and unreadable.

"I hear she's been with him since the beginning. She's got quite the temper as I've been told."

"A woman holding that much power can't be good." Another man joined in the conversation from behind them.

"I bet she's the real head behind the country, at home and at work." The group sneered in disgust at the thought. Their comments abruptly stopped when a commanding officer passed by the ranks but would continue quietly once they were out of ear shot.

"I hear the Furher used to be a playboy. He dated my sister for a bit until she found out and threatened him with her firearm. In front of everyone! Not much of a superior if he lets his men get away with that."

"Jealousy- I tell you man, women ain't no good here!"

The event was hardly exciting to Hawkeye but it was deemed necessary so she had obliged. She was so used to always doing something, weather it was paperwork or making sure the men did there, she wasn't accustomed to work that didn't seem to progress for her.

She was relieved when it was over and she could return to doing something important. In the back of her mind she hoped that Mustang had actually been able to get some work done. She headed back inside with a couple of the other officers. Her office was beside Mustang's, off to one side of the anti-chamber. She was pleased when she entered and found that she had a neat stack of papers sitting on her desk. Other than the fact that she was alone in the office which was a vast change from sharing with five other men it was a rewarding feeling. Her office was decorated tastefully with the standard military furnishings with a little added Hawkeye essence. Several pictures hung on the walls each one captured a different moment in time featured Mustang's crew. Two pictures sat on her desk, one of herself and Mustang together just after getting married; the second one was much older with faded edges- it was of her father and herself as a young child. Was this her grandfather's doing, or Mustangs?

The view from her office window overlooked the front of central from one angle. It was approaching fall and the leaves were starting to change and fall. She closed her eyes and took a moment to revel in the peace and quiet. The knock on the door surprised her, when she turned around, the figure of Roy stood in the doorway.

"I saw you come in, thought I would make sure your office was alright."

"It's perfect. Did all these pictures come from your old office?" She gestured to the ones on the wall.

"Well, some of them. Others are duplicates; I kept some of them in my office. Your grandfather had a hand in the ones on your desk." He explained, stepping up to her desk and picking up the one of the two of them. "This is my favorite one."

"Mine too." Riza agreed, looking over her shoulder at it. Riza had been wearing a beautiful white dress that framed her body perfectly, the long train pooled around her feet. Roy had requested her hair be down for the wedding as she had always been required to wear it up for work. Her hair fell down her back with only small sections at the front pulled back and pinned loosely. Roy looked as dashing as ever in his tuxedo and as happy as she had ever seen him before.

It was a little after five when they decided to leave for the night. Tomorrow Riza promised herself she would focus on her papers.

* * *

AN: Thats all I have written up so far, but I think I know where Im going with this again so I should be able to update again in the next couple days. I try hard not to leave any of my stories unfinished. :)


	3. The Innocent Encounter

"I swear waking you up it harder than getting you to do work!" Riza complained, entering the bedroom for the third time. The figure curled up under the blankets made some sort of noise that was unintelligible and stuck his hand out to motion for her to come closer. With a deep sigh she obliged, bending down closer to him so she could hear. Her damp hair had the faint lingering smell of her shampoo. It hung down over her shoulder as she bent.

"Maybe if you asked me a little nicer I might be more willing…" His voice was thick with sleep but still held his playful notes.

Riza paused as if to regard his offer and for a moment the silence actually made Roy believe this to be so that he slowly pried the duvet away from his face to look up at her. The moment he did his face was struck with a small throw pillow. "That was me asking nicely Roy. If you would prefer I could think of a more creative way…" The sultry tone her voice took on perked Roy's interest. Her face was mere inches from her, her scent enveloped him and he wanted more than anything to reach out and hold her close to him, never letting go. Daring to be bold he seized the opportunity and grabbed her hand when she brought it closer- only to immediately recoil when the flash of silver filled his line of sight. He knew it was too good to be true.

"Ugh, you're so mean Riza…" Roy whimpered as he grudgingly made progress to get out of bed. Riza smirked, placing her sidearm back into its holster. With her attention distracted he decided to go with Plan B, grappling her and pulled her down on top of him. His speed for someone who was so resistant to move was surprising.

"Roy!" Riza struggled against his grasp, her efforts to free herself only made him want to hang on more. "This really isn't productive, we have to leave soon!" Roy shook his head imitating that of a stubborn child as he buried his face in her neck, inhaling the smell of her skin. She didn't mask her natural scent in perfumes like all the other women he knew did. It didn't take long for her to stop struggling to escape; he knew she enjoyed it as well. He placed small kisses on her neck and followed it down her collarbone.

"We can be late. I'll write you a note." He said between breathes. Riza couldn't help but smile, it was against everything that she was, but somehow she didn't mind, as long as it didn't become a habit of his…

* * *

The day was full of mind-numbing work. Why did everything have to come in paper format? He was Furher now; couldn't he just implement a rule stating all reports and treaties needed to come verbally from pretty girls- maybe with a little dance number? No, no, that wouldn't do. He was sure to die- Just his wife, yes, just Riza. Dancing, that's what they should do this weekend! He had been trying to think of something to do on their day off. Roy loved to dance, all types, and he knew for a fact Riza did too, even though she pretended otherwise. Her slender figure, bared in a long slinky dress- perhaps a blue or green to match her eyes?, hugging her body perfectly, those golden tresses flowing gently down her back and soft moist lips. My god, she was lovely.

Papers! Right!

Roy shook his head trying to clear the images that weren't related to work. He stared down in distaste at a particular page at sat in front of him. It wasn't so much what was on it that offended him, more that the longer he stared at it; the more it wasn't filling itself out. He sighed and glanced around the room. His office was huge, filled with a couple pieces of furniture- a couch, table, desk, the usually things. For the amount that filled it, it was surprisingly empty. He was used to sharing his space with his men, used to the comforting- yet scary- knowledge that there was always motivation around for him to do his work.

Roy Mustang was a more hands on man. Paperwork just wasn't him. He knew somewhere in his heap of work there were approval papers for visits to the current restoration sites in the east. He'd gladly take a trip there if it meant he could do something else besides read stale reports all day. There was some reassurance in the fact that the next few days would be filled with events. An assortment of physical and mental challenges set up by the officers and personnel staff for all the soldiers and anyone else who wanted to participate. It varied from one on one wrestling matches to races, target shooting and group events and everything else in between. He was told there were even a few Alchemy events.

The program was designed as a fun, friendly event where anyone in the military nationwide could participate or be elected. All elected names would go through the officers in charge of the event and be reviewed for fairness before posting them the day before; today. The people in question than had until the following morning to accept or decline the offer. The rules were set as to provide protection from grudge matches among the men and only promoted friendly rivalry and teamwork. Roy himself had managed to sneak in a couple of names this morning and was looking forward to watching. And perhaps, he wished, in the meantime these papers would combust…

* * *

The Central Military Games, this was originally Grumman's idea but had never been implemented until now. Breda had briefly mentioned something about it but since she had no interest in partaking it mattered little to her. All the preparations and travel papers for those from the other Headquarters were completed by Grumman before they returned. She wasn't against the games at all, the idea behind it all was admirable and she could see how it would interest the vast numbers who loved to show off their strength and power. She had just left a brief meeting with some of the officers in charge of the games and agreed to be a judge in some of the events. With the folders tucked under her arm, she headed back to her office; she planned on dropping off the Game Data sheets with Mustang before meeting up with Falman and some of the other officers that were in charge. She agreed to file last minute details for them and run through the setup personally in place of the Furher. It was best to give him the time today in his office so he could concentrate. Riza turned the corner and was meet full force with what she could only describe as a brick wall. It knocked her backwards to the ground; a sharp pain ran through the length of her body as she landed poorly on her arm sending her papers skidding all across the floor. She winced in pain as she tried to regain her senses.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Riza picked herself up off the floor and looked up at the person she had apparently ran into. He was a medium build man, roughly six foot and maybe a year or two older than her. He had short blonde hair and deep blue eyes. What startled her the most was that this man wasn't an officer; he was a new soldier obviously for lack of proper military etiquette. Not to mention they weren't allowed in this section of Central without an officer's approval. She addressed him coolly, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm.

"What's your name soldier?"

The man, seeming unhurt by the collision regarded her cautiously. Weather he knew who he was speaking to or not was unknown.

"Private Octavius Falcon, Ma'am."

"Well Private Falcon, in the future you will do well to refer to officers by their appropriate rank and name. What business do you have here?"

Her tone was sharp and cold. The man seemed at a loss for words but quickly managed to gather them.

"Lt Gen, I was sent to deliver a message to Major Myers. I was just returning from doing so."

Hawkeye nodded, dismissing the man. The man quickly took his leave and scurried down the hall. Riza turned and began to retrieve her papers from the floor. She closed her fingers around one of the folders and stood up, only to drop it immediately again as another sharp pain shot up her arm. She bit her lip and waited for it to subside before grabbing the file again with her other hand. She couldn't understand, she hadn't been walking to hit him with as much force as she had fallen with. The man hardly seemed phased by the impact himself, or he recovered surprising fast? She tucked the folders under her good arm and rubbed her sore one, it didn't feel dislocated so she assumed it would leave her with a nice bruise by morning

Once he was out of sight of the officers building he lost his pleasant smile and made a disgusted face. It was hard feigning respect to the likes of her. He had gotten where he is now on hard work, just like everyone else he knew. She just had to follow him around for a few years like a whore and he'd give her anything she wants. It was obviously she didn't know about him yet, otherwise she probably would have suspected him. He didn't plan on her finding out his secret either, at least not yet. Plus, even if she did, if any of them did, they really couldn't link any of this back to him. They would bring her down first and the rest should follow suit. He had friends in high places too, only difference is he wasn't sleeping with them. If he was correct her arm would only get worse the more she used it. A crackle of energy shone from his hand, small alchemical signs could barely be seen carved into his skin all but covered by his uniform jacket.


End file.
